Keith Hernandez apologizes for homophobic joke during W.S. telecast

Keith Hernandez on Thursday issued an apology over a joke he made during FOX’s coverage of Game 7 of the World Series. The comment, widely interpreted as homophobic in nature, was the result of Hernandez making “a poor attempt at humor,” he said.

The incident occurred during FOX’s pregame coverage ahead of Wednesday night’s game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. David Ortiz was making fun of how Dodgers slugger Yasiel Puig licks his bat when he turned to Hernandez and pretended to lick his colleague.

Ortiz’s gesture prompted Hernandez to say while laughing, “I’m not from San Francisco, bro!”

The quip not surprisingly was widely interpreted as homophobic in nature in light of San Francisco’s longstanding and prominent LGBT community. Hernandez was roundly criticized for the comment. In light of the controversy, Hernandez, who actually is from San Francisco, as it happens, decided to apologize.

“I made a poor attempt at humor and never intended for it to be taken the wrong way,” Hernandez said. “I am from San Francisco and as baseball fans know, the Dodgers/Giants rivalry runs deep. I did not grow up a Dodger fan and when it came down to Giants vs. Dodgers, I rooted for the Giants. I apologize if any offense was taken.”